Download About the Rijksmuseum History of the Building The design for the

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About the Rijksmuseum
History of the Building
The design for the current building of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
was the product of years of debate and discussion about how to create a
new national museum for the Netherlands. The nation’s painting and print
collection had been housed since the early 19th century in the
Trippenhuis, a 17th century palace on Kloveniersburgwal, but this proved
unsuitable as a museum. In 1863 a design contest was held, but none of
the submissions were considered to be of sufficient quality. A second
competition was held in 1876 and this time Dutch architect Pierre J.H.
Cuypers was awarded the project.
Pierre Cuypers (1827 – 1921) was ranked as the leading representative
of Dutch architecture during the late 19th century, and was one of the
prominent figures of the Gothic Revival in Europe. He studied
architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium. In the early
part of his career, Cuypers designed and built more than one hundred
churches, mostly in a neo-Gothic style, and was highly influenced by 13th
century French Gothic architecture. Cuypers also restored numerous
monuments, and was appointed national advisor for monumental
buildings in 1874. Cuypers is best known for Amsterdam Central Station,
completed in 1889, and the Rijksmuseum.
Construction on the Rijksmuseum began in October 1876, and was
completed six years later. The municipality of Amsterdam provided the
building site for the new museum at no charge, but demanded a
thoroughfare for city traffic along the central axis of the building. This was
incorporated in the final design, which featured towers positioned
symmetrically on either side of a central passageway, highlighting the
building’s function as a landmark gate from the historic inner city to the
southern districts.
The competition brief specified that the building’s function as a repository
and exhibition space for the nation’s historic heritage had to be
expressed in its appearance. Cuypers’ formal, historic design was
influenced by the Gothic and Renaissance styles, referencing to the
nation’s past. At the time of construction, the building had 330 rooms,
and both the interior and exterior was richly decorated.
The galleries of the Rijksmuseum were grouped around two courtyards in
a rectangular floor plan, which facilitated the ability to orientate. The
entrance to the museum was located, unusually, off the central
passageway through the building. Climbing the stairs leading from the
passage to the main level brought visitors to the Gallery of Honour, in the
heart of the building. This is where the paintings by celebrated artists of
the Dutch Golden Age were hung, with Rembrandt’s The Night Watch as
centrepiece.
The Rijksmuseum officially opened on 13 July 1885. At the time, it was
the largest museum in the Netherlands, and also one of the country’s
most expensive buildings. The Rijksmuseum led Amsterdam to be ranked
alongside a series of European cities in which a national art museum had
been built during the 19th century.
In the years following the opening, numerous adjustments and
expansions were carried out as a result of the growth of the collection
and major donations. In 1890, the complex was extended with the
addition of the ‘Fragments Building’. This new structure included the
remains of demolished buildings that together gave an overview of a
history of Dutch architecture. In 1906, the hall for Rembrandt's The Night
Watch was rebuilt. Between
1904 and 1916, more rooms
were added to the south-west of
the building to house a new
donation of 19th century
paintings. In the 1950s and
1960s the two original
courtyards were covered and
renovated to create more
exhibition space.
The 1970s saw record numbers of visitors, and the building gradually
started to fall short of modern requirements. Following more than a
century of intensive use, it was decided that a large-scale renovation
should be undertaken. The museum was closed in 2003 for a
transformation led by the Spanish architecture firm Cruz y Ortiz, and
reopened to the public on 13 April 2013.
Facts and Figures Building and collection
•
8,000 works of art and objects on display
•
800 years of Dutch art and history
•
Collection of Rijksmuseum: approximately 6,500 paintings, 90,000
objects, 150,000 photographs, and 700,000 works on paper
•
Almost the entire collection of works featured in the new presentation
were restored during the 10 year transformation
•
Over 130,000 objects from the collection are featured on the
museum’s digital platform, Rijks Studio
•
The heaviest object in the collection – Frenzy (ca.1650-ca.1660) by
Artus Quellinus – weighs 1.887 kilograms
•
The largest object in the collection is The Battle of Waterloo (1824)
by Jan Willem Pieneman (576 cm high x 823 cm wide)
•
Rembrandt’s The Night Watch (1642) is the only work that has
returned to its original position in the museum following the
transformation
•
Total galleries: 80 galleries in the main Museum building
•
Walking distance: The walking distance through the museum’s 80
galleries is a total of approximately 1.5 kilometres
•
Total building size: 44,500 square metres
•
Total exhibition space: 14,500 square metres
•
Rijksmuseum gardens: 14,800 square metres
•
Museum Library: home to 5.4 kilometres of books
•
52,000 new bricks used in the building
•
24 pillars used to support the central passageway through the heart
For more information:
[email protected]
Museumstraat 1
P.O. Box 74888
1070 DN Amsterdam
The Netherlands
of the museum
•
The lowest point of the museum is 8.65 metres below sea level
Facts & figures Visitors
The Rijksmuseum is looking back on
the most successful year in its entire
history. Since opening again on 13
April 2013, the museum has welcomed
2.7 million visitors. The museum has
never had as many visitors in such a
short space of time. 55% of visitors are
international visitors. The visitors of the
US are the largest group of international visitors: 10% of the international
visitors (880.000) came from the US in the period April – December 2013.
In 2014 a further growth of visitors from the US is expected.
•
Since opening on 13 April 2013 the museum has welcomed 2.7 million
visitors
•
The Rijksmuseum website attracts 8 million visitors.
•
Most popular images in the RijksShop: The Milkmaid (60,000), The Night
Watch (40,000).
•
The GDP contribution of the Rijksmuseum to the Dutch economy (20032017): €3 billion (€235 million annually).
•
Highest number of visitors in the past: 1,412,000 (1975).
Partnerships Rijksmuseum with museums in the US:
Metropolitan NY
- Several successful exhibitions such as Miro & Jan Steen and the
Milkmaid of Vermeer in 2009
The Getty, LA
- Long term relationship in the area of Research & Conservations
National Gallery, Washington
- Long term relationship around the Dutch Masters
Peabody Essex Museum Salem
- Developing an exhibition in the fall of 2015 in Amsterdam: Asia in
Amsterdam